


Just for Practice

by off_the_map



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2014-06-24
Packaged: 2018-02-06 01:35:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1839529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/off_the_map/pseuds/off_the_map
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Andrew Shaw, world's worst matchmaker.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just for Practice

**Author's Note:**

> My thanks to Puckling who let me wander in from the cold wastes of the internet to babble about all my Saad/Leddy feels.

Leddy stares in disbelief at the recently slammed front door of his and Andy’s apartment. 

“Do you think, that he thinks, that he’s subtle?” Brandon asks from just behind his shoulder and when he turns around he’s got a wide grin on his face. 

“Andrew Shaw world’s worst matchmaker.” Leddy agrees.

“What do you think he’ll do if this doesn’t work?” Brandon asks.

“Squish our faces together and yell ‘NOW KISS’" Leddy shrugged. “Or lock us in a closet together.”

“I guess we should be glad he didn’t start with that,” Brandon says and heads towards the kitchen to grab drinks.

He’s here to play videogames and keep Leddy company, “Because he’s sooooo sad when he’s alone, he’s soooo lonely without you Manchild!” according to Shawzy.  
Leddy won’t admit to anyone, especially Andy, that maybe he does enjoy Brandon’s company a little bit more than everyone else, and maybe he does miss him a little bit when he’s not there, but that’s no reason to go around locking them into tiny spaces together. 

“No, we should thank Bolly that he didn’t start with that, I overhead him talking Shawzy out of that yesterday after practice,” he says.

Brandon stops and turns to look back at him. “Are you serious?” Then he cracks up “Of course you are its Shawzy; this is going to get so much worse before he gives up on it.”

Leddy nodded. “Or we could just, I don’t know pretend to date and then be so boring that he loses interest.” And he can’t believe that he said that out loud. 

Brandon looks considering for a moment like it was a reasonable suggestion “…do you think that would work?” he finally asks.

They don’t end up playing anything. They sack out on the couch and watch Netflix instead. Halfway through the movie Brandon slings an arm around his shoulders, nothing he hasn’t done a hundred times, before but this time after a moment or two he doesn’t let go just tightens his hold a little bit. Leddy relaxes into his side and Brandon says, “Gotta practice being boring boyfriends.” 

He hadn’t realized that Brandon would take him seriously, he’d been mostly joking but he’s not going to turn down the opportunity to sprawl out all over him. After a few minutes of shifting he settles head on Brandon’s shoulder, arm along his thigh, the warm skin of Brandon’s knee under his hand, and they finish watching the movie like that.  
It’s super comfortable and Leddy really doesn’t want to move when the movie is over so he’s happy when Brandon starts something else without even shifting away. After a while Brandon turns to look at him, Leddy can’t see his expression without looking up but when he does Bandon doesn’t say anything just presses a kiss to the side of his head, smiles and turns back to the movie.

It’s warm and sweet and amazing and Leddy decides that this is the best terrible idea he’s ever had. He doesn’t say anything about the kiss just tightens his grip on Brandon’s knee for a moment and shifts fractionally closer.

They’re still like that when Shawzy comes home. He’s trying hard to be quiet, Leddy can tell from the way he doesn’t start yelling the moment he opens the door and the way that he hushes Bollig. 

“Shhhhhh, I want to see if it worked.” His whisper loud enough to be clearly heard in the other room over the sound of the movie. 

Brandon is trying hard not to laugh, Leddy can feel it in the tension of the muscles of his chest and it’s all he can do to keep from laughing himself when Shawzy sneaks (loudly) into the room to peek at them and then sneaks (even more loudly) back to the front hall to where Bollig is not even pretending not to laugh. 

“They’re CUDDLING!” and he’s forgotten how to whisper.

Leddy buries his face into the warm cotton of Brandon’s shirt to muffle his laughter and Brandon’s almost silent giggles ruffle his hair from where Brandon has pressed his face into the top of his head. 

He stands after a moment. “Hey Shawzy, Bolly,” he says pretending that he didn’t notice the whispering and the sneaking and the laughing. 

He offers Brandon a hand and pulls him to his feet. He stands, ending up close enough to give Leddy a quick half hug, his hand warm on Leddy's hip. “Remember, be boring,” he leans in to whisper, before moving away, easy and natural like they do this every day. 

It’s so easy to be boring boyfriends with Brandon that he sort of forgets that it’s new, that it’s pretend, that it’s for Shawzy's benefit.  
When he remembers to think about it he’s surprised how little in their friendship has actually changed, they stand a little closer, sit with their knees pressed together under the table at dinner, Brandon will press a kiss against his temple or brush one over his mouth on occasion and he starts calling Brandon babe. But other than that, they do the same things, they practice and play, they watch movies and hang out with Shawzy and try to convince Bollig to cook and get takeout when they fail. 

For the first week Shawzy smirks and opens doors suddenly trying to catch them making out. The one time he does see them kiss, Leddy is pretty sure that the look on his face means he’s only barely restraining himself from jumping up and down and clapping his hands with joy like a teenage girl. So Shawzy is obnoxious, but then Shawzy is always obnoxious and he stops looking thoughtfully at closets and dropping hints about how lonely and sad Leddy is so it’s working.

He opens the door on a Tuesday evening after about three weeks of pretend dating and Shawzy is nowhere around but Brandon leans in to kiss him lightly anyway “I brought dinner,” he says gesturing with the takeout bag.

“Thanks babe, you want a beer?” He takes the bag from Brandon and heads towards the kitchen. Brandon follows him, presses up close behind him when he stops at the counter.  
He sets down the food and turns around; Brandon’s warm and solid and doesn’t give an inch.

“Hey,” Brandon says and he’s close enough that all he can see is the smile crinkling the corners of Brandon’s eyes, before he leans in and kisses him, just the light touch of his lips before he pulls back and licks them, and leans back in. One hand curls around the back of his neck and the other around his waist as Brandon shifts close, closer, closest, fitting their bodies together stopping only when they’re pressed together from knee to shoulder. 

“Hey,” he says and tips his head to kiss Brandon back, a little longer, a little firmer. 

After a long moment something occurs to him  
“Oh, Shawzy's not here?” It’s sort of a question; it sounds like a question when he says it. 

“Humm? Oh, for practice?” Brandon offers.

“Sure,” he agrees and kisses him again.

Later that evening they’re sacked out on the couch, Leddy mostly lying down head and shoulders propped against the armrest, his legs over Brandon’s lap. Brandon had been sitting, his feet are still on the floor but he’s slumped over to rest his head against Leddy’s chest. He’s been running his hand through Brandon’s hair for a while, and it was on the verge of putting them both to sleep. 

“Are you going to do a play-off mullet with Kaner again this year?” he asks tugging lightly at the hair at the nape of Brandon’s neck.

“Mmmm probably,” Brandon mutters into his shirt. 

“Hey don’t sleep,” Leddy says tugging gently at Brandon’s hair again, “you’ll fuck your back up.” 

“Mmmmm,” Brandon agrees and then fails to do anything other than continue to fall asleep on Leddy’s chest. 

“At least put your feet up,” Leddy says and Brandon grumbles but shifts them around so they’re both stretched out on the couch, Leddy lying flat and Brandon mostly on top of him, head on his shoulder, their legs tangled together. 

“Good night,” he says and shifts enough that he can press a soft kiss to Brandon’s lips.

“Goodnight Leds,” Brandon says and kisses him long and slow and sleepy. 

The couch is just barely big enough for both of them but he’s comfortable and warm under Brandon and so he just holds him close and goes back to running his free hand through his hair. His back is not thrilled with him in the morning and from the way Brandon stretches and groans neither is his but he can’t bring himself to regret anything.  
After that it’s even harder to remember that Brandon’s not actually his boyfriend and he thinks that he’s not the only one who’s forgetting.

It’s been six weeks since he made a throwaway comment about pretending to date and Brandon unexpectedly took him seriously.

Six weeks of light friendly kisses that turned into deeper kisses that turned into necking on the couch. 

Six weeks of Brandon’s arms around his shoulders, around his waist, around his back with Brandon’s hands fisted in the material of his shirt.

Six weeks of Brandon both acknowledge and dismissing their situation in a single sentence. “Just practicing.” Like that was both the only excuse and all the reason he needed. 

Six weeks of Leddy accepting that as excuse and reason and kissing Brandon again, touching him, pushing closer, asking for more.

“You should just stay, it’s late.” It’s not actually true. It’s not too late for Brandon to drive home, two beers each and neither of them is drunk, but he wants, so he offers.

“Yea,” Brandon agrees, sits up, stretches, fake yawns, “Sure let’s go to bed.”

Brandon leads the way to Leddy’s bedroom like he belongs there, strips down to his boxers and climbs into bed casual and easy like this is a thing that they do. Like he’s not still and forever pushing at the edges of this thing that’s building between them.

Leddy just takes off his clothes and climbs into bed beside Brandon. Brandon’s lying on his side, facing him and he smiles, he looks happy and content and Leddy wants to put his mouth all over him and never ever stop. He wonders if Brandon would let him. He slides closer to Brandon in the bed and Brandon’s arms come up around him with no hesitation, he leans in and Brandon meets him in a kiss and he knows that Brandon would absolutely let him do what he wanted.

But he’s tired of not talking about it, tired of being unsure, because he’s getting used to having Brandon as his boyfriend and he wants it to be real, wants to have Brandon like this forever. And that means that they have to actually talk about it even if he’d much rather just kiss Brandon stupid and then hold him down and suck him off.

He flops over onto his back and sighs. “Hey Brandon,” he stares at the ceiling not looking at the way Brandon is mostly naked and smiling and warm in his bed or he’ll never start talking. 

“What’s wrong?” Brandon says and he shifts, Leddy can feel the bed move but he doesn’t look over.

“I want, I mean can we,” he stops and takes a breath “I mean, this has been awesome and Shawzy has stopped trying to lock us in closets. But everything just, it feels real but I’m not sure, and I want it to be real so maybe, no more pretending?”

“Leddy…. Nick.” and Brandon sounds so happy that he turns to look at him.

“Yes,” His whole face is smiling and then he crosses the last few inches between them and kisses him. When the kiss breaks Brandon has curled around him covering him, warm skin and strong arms and joy. 

Brandon buries his head against his neck lips moving gently over his skin. “I have to tell you something though,” He says.

“Hummm?” He tilts his head to give Brandon more access, to give Brandon anything he wants.

“I was never pretending,” he says.

Brandon’s using his lips and his teeth just under his ear in a way that putting thoughts together very difficult so it takes a moment for him to get it.  
“Oh,” he says, and it comes out breathy and faint, “Practicing.”

Brandon pulls away just enough to prop himself up on one elbow and look down at him putting on a serious expression. “I have learned that diligent daily practice is the key to getting what you want.”

Leddy laughs and has to kiss him again and again.

After a moment he starts to sit up and Brandon give easily settling back onto the pillows and relaxing into the sheets as Leddy reverses their position.  
When he starts to pull away from the kiss Brandon’s tries to follow but he’s got one hand braced against Brandon’s shoulder so he doesn’t get far and just arches his neck chasing after the kiss, making a tiny sound of protest, then his hand is curling around the back of Leddy’s neck to pull him back in. So Leddy leans back down and kisses him again, it’s hardly a hardship to spend more time there, swallowing up the pleased hums Brandon is making.

The second time he tries to sit up he’s more successful and so he pushes the comforter off of them both and takes a moment to look. Brandon is flushed just slightly, lips wet and parted, breathing a little heavy. He’s very obviously hard, cock pushing against the fabric of his navy blue boxers. He runs a hand down the center of Brandon’s chest and over his stomach stopping at the waistband of his boxers. 

Next time, he’ll take his time, next time he’ll kiss and lick and put his mouth and his hands absolutely everywhere but right now, right now Brandon is hard, just below where his hand is resting on his stomach. Right now Brandon is in his bed, happy and willing and his and he wants nothing more than to suck his cock. 

“Can I?” Leddy asks and dips his fingers under the waistband of Brandon’s boxers feeling the skin jump under his palm as Brandon takes a quick breath in. 

“Yea, Leds….yea.” Brandon nods. 

Leddy bends down to put an open mouthed kiss just above his hand and then pulls Brandon’s boxers off, lifting the waistband over his cock before pushing them down far enough that Brandon can kick them off the end of the bed.

He doesn’t tease; he shifts so that he’s kneeling in between Brandon’s legs wraps one hand around his cock, and slides his mouth down to meet his hand.  
Brandon swears softly and his cock jerks in Leddy’s mouth but he doesn’t thrust so he pets Brandon’s hip where he had been holding him with his free hand just in case and slides that hand down to play with Brandon’s balls as he pulls almost all the way off with a strong steady suction. Which makes Brandon gasp so he does it again.

Brandon is thick and hard in his mouth and it feels really good, so when Brandon’s breaths start hitching on every inhale, when he looks up to see that he’s flushed halfway down his chest and that his eyes are closed hands fisted in the sheets Leddy thinks about stopping. He thinks about pulling off and calming Brandon down so he can keep going, have this for longer. But as much as he wants to keep sucking him he also wants Brandon to come, so he doesn’t stop, just tightens his hand picks up the pace and is rewarded with Brandon’s hitching breath breaking into moans, with one hand tugging lightly on his hair like the tension in Brandon’s thigh under his hand wasn’t warning enough, and swallows him down. 

Brandon pulls him up, kisses him hard and deep like he’s chasing the taste of his come in Leddy’s mouth. Then Brandon pulls back to grin at him and does his level best to take Leddy completely apart. 

He succeeds. 

Later  
The door opens silently, dim light from the hallway not enough to disturb either of the men sleeping, naked, pressed tightly together with the sheets tangled around the foot of the bed and discarded clothing littering the floor.

Shawzy closes the door, just as quietly as he had opened it and slips back to his room silent and smiling. 

“Hey, Mutt,” Bolly opens his eyes when Shawzy closes the door behind him but doesn’t bother lifting his head from the pillows “You got them all sorted out?”

“Yep.” Shawzy grins “I’m the best!”

**Author's Note:**

> map-less on Tumblr


End file.
